Academics, politicians and journalists can all improve each other’s disciplines – this is how

The Blair Years course at King’s College London is a prime example of how historical and academic knowledge helps to make sense of today’s political landscape

Anji Hunter, Tony Blair’s adviser, talks to students at King’s College London, with Jon Davis, Michelle Clement and John Rentoul (The Strand Group, King’s College London)

A new term started last week, which means the “Blair Years” course that I help teach at King’s College London is back in business. I am proud of it, and believe the course benefits The Independent’s journalism, not least because it means I am constantly thinking about recent history and how it informs politics today.

I pay tribute to the work of my colleagues Jon Davis and Michelle Clement, who have built something exceptional in the university world. By bringing together government, journalism and academia, they have created something that adds value to all three.

The Blair Years course, along with the associated courses run in cooperation with government departments, helps politicians and civil servants by preserving “institutional memory”. Davis teaches these additional courses – on British prime ministers and No 10, and on the Treasury – which offer the same exercise in ultra-contemporary history, and all of the classes benefit from the huge advantage of visiting politicians, civil servants and special advisers, who come to speak to the students about their personal experiences.

Last week, Anji Hunter, Blair’s longest-serving adviser, was our special guest and talked about his rise to the top and his early years in power. She told the story of how she pushed a Monica Lewinsky impersonator to the floor to stop her meeting Bill Clinton when he came to Britain for a G8 summit.

This week, Ed Balls, Gordon Brown’s adviser and later shadow chancellor, will talk about the decision not to join the euro in 2003. Of course, most of our special guests are sympathetic to the governments in which they served. David Cameron, when he came to talk to the Prime Ministers class, and George Osborne, when he spoke to students on the Treasury course, both defended their record in power.

Thus the Blair Years course does tend to present the case for the defence, which was the theme of our book based on it, Heroes or Villains: The Blair Government Reconsidered. But in our view, much of New Labour’s negative reputation is unfair and needs rebalancing – and we trust in our students’ critical faculties.

These courses benefit journalism, government and of course the students, who gain the chance to test their book and online learning against the best primary sources: the people who were in the room when decisions were taken.

Yours,

John Rentoul

Chief political commentator